Day 43. Blackfield. Sept 18 2001

Slept late today. Very late.

Heather, who stayed up until early morning reading Harry Potter was up, before noon. But I finally pried myself from my sheets and got dressed. I’m afraid that I might be getting a bit of a cold, wouldn’t that be a wonderful way to be biking. Sneezing my way to France!

We finally got back on our bikes today and pedaled down to Paul and Tessa’s. Paul had promised to fix the broken strut on Heather’s bike and he had, using fiberglass tape and resin. Unfortunately Heather had forgotten her bolts, so we couldn’t see if it had worked.

Paul seemed very excited to be helping us out. We broke a tent peg yesterday and he ran around everywhere trying to find a replacement, we now have four. Paul was working a night shift, four days on four days off, for twelve hours at a time so he disappeared quickly with a promise that we would visit again another day!

Tessa was pretty eager to chat and learned a great deal of Orman family gossip. I sent out a mass letter to all our ardent fans at home. The more I write about what we have been doing the more I realize how sedentary we have been. I’m getting the urge to move on strongly now and I am itching to get going despite the fact that only cold weather and hard biking await us. But we won’t be leaving for a week or so. And then there is only a couple of days before Brian and Syvia get home so we might as well wait for them. At this rate we will never leave. At least Heather gave back Harry today so one less tie that binds.

We showed Tessa our pictures of the journey so far and was amazed to see how few we had and how little territory was had covered, especially considering what we are planning on doing. I had a little scare just now as I realized that this is the last page page in this journal. Where did forty three days go?

Anyway we stayed very late at Paul and Tessa’s sharing stories with Tessa and Megan and occasionally with Thomas. By the time we left it was very dark and windy and there was a fine mist blowing in. The weather is getting worse and still we don’t get going. My mind keeps going back to the same topic. I know that once we have left this place I will be longing for the surety a roof can give.

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